Niklas Rosenberg

One way to build a successful company – perhaps the best way – is to solve a big and relevant problem in the real world. For software companies, the solution to the problem is almost always deployed as a product, which customers hopefully will find useful and valuable enough so that they are willing to buy it. Given the importance of the product, it’s no surprise that most tech companies have a C-level executive who is responsible for the strategy and execution of all product-related activities, the Chief Product Officer (CPO). Whether the title is CPO, Head of Product, VP of Product, or something else, doesn’t much matter. There needs to be someone who is responsible for the strategic product direction and who leads the product organization.

Recently I’ve been testing what impact brown noise has on my ability to focus, relax, and fall asleep. It’s still too early to draw any definitive conclusions, but so far I’ve had positive experiences when it comes to enhanced focus. In fact, as I’m writing this blog post I’m listening to a recording of brown noise on my headphones.

While subscription-based podcasts aren’t a new thing per se, the tools from Spotify and Apple make setting up and maintaining a paid podcast a lot easier than it was before. Discovering and listening to paid podcasts will also become much more convenient. Additionally, it’s great that creators finally have other ways to monetize their work than just the traditional ad-based model. When comparing the new tools from both Spotify and Apple, I must say that Spotify has surprised positively, and at least on paper it looks like Spotify has produced the winning concept. Therefore, for my own part, I will definitely continue my podcast experimentations on the Anchor / Spotify platform.

An org chart forces you to think about all the functions in a business and who should be accountable for what. This can be very useful in early-stage businesses, where the only resources are the founders, but there will still be lots of things that must be done.

There’s a lot going on in the podcasting ecosystem and it seems clear that more and more podcasts will become subscription based. It also means that there will probably be less ads in podcasts going forward and that’s also going to have an impact on AdTech development in the podcasting space. However, subscription based podcasts aren’t for every creator, and I don’t expect that the majority of podcasts will end up behind a paywall. Many podcasters will probably do what’s commonplace in the newsletter space, i.e. offer selected bits of your work for free to everyone, and then place the premium content behind a paywall.

The power of the 2-minute rule is evident, because it really drives you to get things done. The rule also appears simple and straightforward, but turns out to be surprisingly hard to follow rigorously.

Based on Allen’s GTD methodology, I’ve developed my own productivity system, which has served me well for the past 5 years. It contains elements from all five steps mentioned above, but I’ve found that getting the first step right, i.e. capturing everything that pops up in your mind systematically and placing them into a centralized “inbox”, is key to everything.

Despite the fact that the WIRED article “The Long Tail” came out ages ago, it’s still an educational and entertaining read. Not only did Chris Anderson coin a phrase that became widely used, but he also did some good predictions, especially regarding online streaming services and that the most successful online businesses will be about aggregating the Long Tail in one way or another.

On its surface, the Law of Focus seems simple and straightforward, but actually it’s got quite a few layers to peel. It’s perhaps more about narrowing things down than finding and owning a word, and being able to own a word comes as an end result of the process. Then again, perhaps first trying to find and own a word can be a means to an end, a way to ensure that your business is focused enough. In any case, there’s no doubt that a company can become incredibly successful if it can find a way to own a word in the mind of the prospect.

Looking at the various elements of a business through the lens of systems makes a lot of sense. When the systems are in check and work together, they enable you to create a strong brand that can be replicated, enable growth without chaos, and eventually turn your business into a systems-dependent, not people-dependent, operation.